Familiar?
by Pascale d'Artagne
Summary: The war with the dragons recently declared, Seraphina and her friends need some time to escape the chaos of planning and just spend time by themselves. Drabbles/One-shots.
1. Evasive

Straightening up, Seraphina evenly took in several deep breaths. Focusing on the clear, black notes in front of her, she raised the cool metal sackbut mouthpiece once again to her tingling lips. With a disappointing Fwarf! a raspy concert F plopped out of the slim-belled instrument. Setting aside her growing frustration, Seraphina blew through the resistant instrument, eliciting various tones of Brrr! and Dwah! as she rambled up the notes of a major scale.

Absorbed in coaxing a more delicate…sound…from her newest instrument, Seraphina failed to distinguish the opening of the door behind her, even accompanied as it was by hinges squeaking anything but subtly.

"You realize it may be easier if you actually ask someone for help," Kiggs commented, forcing obvious traces of humour from his voice.

Sighing, Seraphina set down her horn, half in relief, but also with a tinge of acrimony. _What does he know of music?_ Swivelling on her stool, she came face to face with the incorrigible Kiggs. Rather, she was eye level with the middle of his chest, and she blinked rapidly as bright red cloth assaulted her vision from a close range.

Seraphina carefully stated, "Well, that's certainly _not_ the reprimand I was expecting for skipping the second half of the War Preparations Council." Uncertain of his mood, generally categorized as either official or playful, she restrained herself to a very slight smile.

He didn't seem to quite know what mood he was in either, attested to by his furrowed brow over smiling eyes. "Erm, yes, well," he began, "it's not a big problem. Nothing of substance was expected to occur until the night session." He winced involuntarily, as if dreading the coming ordeal. "Two members just spent an inordinate length of time continuing their debate on clause III of the Fourth War Contingency from some moldy old relic which must outdate everything in the kingdom."

"Excepting the First through Third War Contingencies, I suppose." Seraphina was rewarded for her dry comment by a brief grin. Sighing, Kiggs began pacing across the length of the rather small practice room, running curious fingers over sundry instruments left around the cluttered room at the whim of their masters.

"Essentially, the whole afternoon was wasted over some issue that has relatively little bearing on anything at all. Besides which, no one but them still has any idea what pedantic sentiment the whole argument was over anyways." Pausing, he stooped down, large hands carefully grasping an extraordinarily mundane looking wooden flute. Idly he placed his fingers on the keys, an insatiable curiosity holding him enthralled by the puzzle of creating the correct grip on the delicate instrument.

After a minute, he managed to feel partially satisfied with his endeavor, having found comfortable placement for all but his two little fingers. His easy satisfaction gave way to doubt as Seraphina's hands shifted each of his fingers one hole to the right. Meeting her eyes, he felt a slight embarrassment at the flickering amusement beneath her gaze.

"You know, it may be easier if you actually ask someone for help." The last word trembled with restrained laughter.

"Hmmm, now where have I heard that before?" Tilting his head thoughtfully, Kiggs grinned down at a reddening Seraphina.

"It's not the same…" she began, absentmindedly mimicking flute fingering in the air beside her. Kiggs' frown instantly blossomed into a splitting grin.

"Well then, ignoring your last statement of…ignorance," he ignored her skeptical snort, "I have a proposal to make." So assured of the brilliance of his plan, Kiggs hurried on without awaiting her response. "To improve, you will go ask some sackbutist for help. In return, you will teach me how to play flute."

Skepticism written boldly on her face, Seraphina stepped back, carefully stepping around the sackbut and alighting gingerly on her stool. "This sounds like I'm doing two favours." Suddenly she smirked, causing an involuntary shiver to run through Kiggs at the mischievousness veiled by her innocence. "Although, after our…talk…on your tower, I can't deny that there is a certain appeal in having an excuse for being shut up alone with you for hours on end."

Slightly red, Kiggs shook his head in wonder, moving closer to an also blushing Seraphina. "That was unexpected," he remarked coolly. The next words slipped out before even his lifetime of diplomacy could prevent them. "Although, after our…talk…" he grinned at her rolled eyes, "I can't deny that that sounds like a singularly excellent idea."

The tolling of the sixth evening bell assaulted the room, having the dubious honour of saving Seraphina and Kiggs from acting upon their words as they simultaneously dropped, er…placed, their instruments on the floor, all but running from the room to attend an assuredly dreary third session of the War Council.

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A/N. So, hope you enjoyed that in some slight way. After reading Seraphina, I was surprised to see no fanfics, so I made this up.


	2. What a nice day this is

"This wasn't exactly what I had in mind," Glisselda commented, deftly working the needle with her practiced fingers. Rolling her eyes, Seraphina lost focus, earning another jab to her finger by her own ever fickle needle.

"You know, I think I agree," Seraphina returned, struggling to maintain any sense of rhythm in her erratic stitches. "When you suggested a relaxing break, _somehow_ I thought it might possibly have involved the brilliant spring weather outside." Dropping her gaze from the Princess's bemused expression, she sighed, perplexed at how over an hour's labour could have yielded merely one tangled and lumpy, albeit colourful, mess of string. The whole mess collapsed limp on the wooden floor as Seraphina stood, attracted to the window by a wayward breeze tickling her skirts. "Let's go on the balcony," she suggested.

Unmoved, Glisselda continued her stitching. In contrast to her impatient companion, she felt a strange calmness from the repetitive work, guiding each stitch with practiced ease. "And do what?" she asked, eager for conversation.

"Don't you want to feel the sun, bask in it's warm, life giving glow?" Seraphina teased, pushing open the waist high door, the top already swung wide as a makeshift window.

"And watch as we bake under the summer sun?" she countered, not moving an inch from her seat.

"The birds are singing so—"

Glisselda snorted very uncharacteristically. "Yes, their tune reminds me of that nasally old ambassador from who knows where who was rather obnoxious earlier today."

Seraphina rolled her eyes, leaning on the stone railing. "Yes, and I suppose the fresh air brings to mind nothing but opportunity to catch a cold."

"Undoubtedly, although I believe the possibility of an allergic reaction is far more probable, as it is spring time." Seraphina and Glisselda both found themselves staring at a sopping wet Lucian Kiggs.

"Oh, don't bother coming in," Seraphina said tartly, "or you'll get the non-existent rug wet."

"Hardly," he replied, unperturbed by the stares he was receiving from the still sitting princess. "Well, I just thought I would let you two lovely ladies know the next meeting has been cancelled due to unforeseen events." Turning on his heel, Kiggs left as suddenly as he came, his voice drifting back, "I must go change now, or I'm liable to fall ill."

Staring wide-eyed, Glisselda set aside her stitching. "Why is he so glum today?" Laughter burst from the balcony, and Glisselda reddened. "My earlier refusal to go outside does not warrant such amusement, I'll have you know."

Giggling, Seraphina leaned on the door frame. "Oh, 'Selda, it's not that." A few giggles broke into her thought. "I just think it's funny you aren't curious how he got all wet."

"Well, he must have taken a bath, or…" she trailed off, frowning as all logical conclusions made a quick exit.

"We must have missed the one opportunity to witness a Council meeting anywhere near exciting," Seraphina sighed, suddenly rather glum herself.

Glancing over sharply, Glisselda stood up, practically dragging Seraphina back outside again. "Oh no, now don't you go getting mopey. I'll not stand for this. You will not regret taking a break from those stuffy old meetings full of stodgy old diplomats arguing about…" Her eloquence faded, leaving an awkward silence. "Stuff," she finished conclusively.

As Seraphina continued to giggle, she huffed, looking about at the vibrant gardens below. "I say, what a nice day this is."

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A/N Well, here's a little something that flitted past me a few days ago. Anywho, hoped you like it.


End file.
